cman:Virtual machines work well for games if you have an awesome system. I can run GTAIV in Parallels (Parallels is a commercial virtual machine product for OS X) at medium settings without stuttering.

Although the D3D layer is built using wine, which whilst good and very capable in its own right, will often leave you with a black screen as certain (usually the not commonly used ones) D3D functions don't quite do what they should.

Parallels + SW:TOR was a black screen when I tried it as an example, although this was around the time of release of the game so I assume there is a more modern version of Parallels which has a newer version of wine inside it.

physt:I have a game on the Android App store and it's heartbreaking to see every new version I post end up on a torrent sit in a matter of hours. My sales in the Google Play store were good for awhile but once the cracked version hit, it slowed to a fraction of what it was. Sales in the other stores are all still good, thankfully.

What game, and do you have a demo version on the Google Play store? I'll give it a whirl.

I also downloaded the demo version of Game Dev Story. I played through the demo once or twice, but games on a cell phone are usually throw aways, so I can't see spending a lot of money on them. Even $2.99 is sometimes too much for some of the games on there. If I find something I really like, and I think I'll play for a long time, then maybe I'd pay for it, but I'm only busting out a game on my phone if I'm really bored, because I have better things to do when I'm at home. Its annoying to only be able to play a demo app, but honestly, most games just don't have the oomph to make me WANT to spend my money on them.

Every game I've played, save for a few, has fallen under the same 2 formulas:

1) Demo version that lets you play for so long or gives you just a taste of a game, hoping you'll buy the rest of it for little extras. Screensavers and other apps do this too.

2) Game is free, but in order to be competitive, you have to put money into the game to buy better items.

I have found very few games that are fun, don't REQUIRE me to pay money if I don't want to (either ad supported or have micro-transactions that don't feel like I NEED them in order to win).

I pirate a few games. Like Crysis 3, I pirated that game. See $60 was an awful lot to pay for a benchmarking utility so I just pirated it played the first level and deleted it. I have no intention of finishing it, I will never buy anything on origin (sorry Battlefield 4) and I generally despise the gameplay of the Crysis games.

I also pirated Tropico 4 when I realized that I wasn't going to break my 'no origin' policy for sim city. I enjoyed it then I bought it on steam. I didn't even lose my save files.

I never would have bought Tropico 4 without knowing what it was about it didn't really appeal to me until I played it. I was never going to buy Crysis 3. So basically in my case I don't cheat the devs out of money that they were ever going to actually get anyway. Sometimes they get money because I did pirate their game.

cman:Virtual machines work well for games if you have an awesome system

I spend all day developing software for Windows. By the time I get home, Windows is the last thing I want to associate with "fun". I end up missing out on a lot of games, but on the flip side- I save a lot of money. I just got a legit copy of X-Com, and the ability to nickname your soldiers is just a recipe for tragedy. I am so pissed at those damn aliens for killing Lt. Deal With It.

hej:Is this the thread where I get to rationalize and excuse what is obviously a pattern theivery? Ok good.

Actually its just us that can afford to goof off at work and have access to the internet so no its more a series of "I used to pirate but then I grew up" anecdotes. Wait for the teenagers and shift-workers to finish up in about two hours, then we'll get into fullblown piracy isn't stealing warrgarbl I'm sure.

Egoy3k:I pirate a few games. Like Crysis 3, I pirated that game. See $60 was an awful lot to pay for a benchmarking utility so I just pirated it played the first level and deleted it. I have no intention of finishing it, I will never buy anything on origin (sorry Battlefield 4) and I generally despise the gameplay of the Crysis games.

I also pirated Tropico 4 when I realized that I wasn't going to break my 'no origin' policy for sim city. I enjoyed it then I bought it on steam. I didn't even lose my save files.

I never would have bought Tropico 4 without knowing what it was about it didn't really appeal to me until I played it. I was never going to buy Crysis 3. So basically in my case I don't cheat the devs out of money that they were ever going to actually get anyway. Sometimes they get money because I did pirate their game.

Hell, I'd advocate pirating Crysis 3 after how much ****ing ass Crysis 2 sucked. Especially after the drama bullshiat EA rolled out when they pulled it from Steam for a few years.

Well, it isn't stealing. It's copyright infringement. To call it stealing is an insult to hardworking thieves who actually deprive people of property. Can you imagine how it must feel to a professional, someone who spends time honing their craft, to be put on the same level as an idiot who can click a button on a web page? There are people who spend years perfecting their mugging technique, or who have the gumption to walk into a bank armed with nothing but a threatening note and more guts than common sense. And what about the hard-working blokes who spend hours marching up and down the lanes at your local mall's parking lot, so that they can break a window and steal a forgotten cellphone or wallet?

Those people are stealing. They're doing something with their lives. Don't insult them by elevating copyright infringers.

Well, it isn't stealing. It's copyright infringement. To call it stealing is an insult to hardworking thieves who actually deprive people of property. Can you imagine how it must feel to a professional, someone who spends time honing their craft, to be put on the same level as an idiot who can click a button on a web page? There are people who spend years perfecting their mugging technique, or who have the gumption to walk into a bank armed with nothing but a threatening note and more guts than common sense. And what about the hard-working blokes who spend hours marching up and down the lanes at your local mall's parking lot, so that they can break a window and steal a forgotten cellphone or wallet?

Those people are stealing. They're doing something with their lives. Don't insult them by elevating copyright infringers.

physt:I have a game on the Android App store and it's heartbreaking to see every new version I post end up on a torrent sit in a matter of hours. My sales in the Google Play store were good for awhile but once the cracked version hit, it slowed to a fraction of what it was. Sales in the other stores are all still good, thankfully.

Most popular game in the universe for most of the 90s. EVERYBODY had the shareware version. The full version and DOOM2 were probably the most pirated software in the world from '93 to '96. No copy protection at ALL - got four or five floppy discs? ARJ that sucker up and have fun!

Yet id still made an unholy assload of money off it.

Piracy hurts, sure, but it doesn't kill.

/Man, I'm having flashbacks to the ASCII loading screens for some reason...

I bought a copy of that game on CD in a local computer store. Found out later that they never made a CD version of the game. you'd never know it. CD came in a box with professional looking instruction manual and CD with graphics from the game printed on it just like it was from the manufacturer. I talked to the people at the store about it later and they said they bought them from a distributor not realizing that they were illegal copies. I still have it somewhere.

wut? GT interactive released Doom and Doom 2 on cd. I own both, bought retail at wal-mart.

what are you on about?

/will concede that my original zero day copy of Doom 2 came on a bunch of black floppies with red graphics.

Well, it isn't stealing. It's copyright infringement. To call it stealing is an insult to hardworking thieves who actually deprive people of property. Can you imagine how it must feel to a professional, someone who spends time honing their craft, to be put on the same level as an idiot who can click a button on a web page? There are people who spend years perfecting their mugging technique, or who have the gumption to walk into a bank armed with nothing but a threatening note and more guts than common sense. And what about the hard-working blokes who spend hours marching up and down the lanes at your local mall's parking lot, so that they can break a window and steal a forgotten cellphone or wallet?

Those people are stealing. They're doing something with their lives. Don't insult them by elevating copyright infringers.

Not as convoluted as my "raging heterosexuality" idea:

There is a woman who feels that she is a man. Not just any kind of man, but a gay man. Therefore he goes out to pick up guys. Since he is biologically a she this isn't a homosexual relationship. But, because he thinks she is a he in his mind that makes it a homosexual relationship.

Egoy3k:Quigs: I hate these dumbfarks who cry "A pirated piece of software isn't a lost sale." They're like the hemp morons.

IF YOU'RE DRIVING A STOLEN VEHICLE AND IT CAN'T BE PROVEN THAT YOU OWN A STOLEN VEHICLE YOU'RE A LOT LESS LIKELY TO SAVE UP AND BUY A VEHICLE YOU MORONIC PIECE OF shiat

[1.bp.blogspot.com image 500x375].

The problem with your rant is that car theft and video game piracy are not ever remotely similar.

Well, if a car exists, and I had the ability to make an exact duplicate of the car without costs incurred to any manufacturers or car lots, even though I didn't need a car and probably wouldn't have bought a car if I couldn't replicate the car for free. And then I drove it around for as long as I liked, and told other people how awesome my car was, and then those people went and bought an actual car from the dealership (or maybe they make their own copies, what do I care), then its a little closer to video game piracy.

Celerian:Well, if a car exists, and I had the ability to make an exact duplicate of the car without costs incurred to any manufacturers or car lots, even though I didn't need a car and probably wouldn't have bought a car if I couldn't replicate the car for free. And then I drove it around for as long as I liked, and told other people how awesome my car was, and then those people went and bought an actual car from the dealership (or maybe they make their own copies, what do I care), then its a little closer to video game piracy.

Celerian:Egoy3k: Quigs: I hate these dumbfarks who cry "A pirated piece of software isn't a lost sale." They're like the hemp morons.

IF YOU'RE DRIVING A STOLEN VEHICLE AND IT CAN'T BE PROVEN THAT YOU OWN A STOLEN VEHICLE YOU'RE A LOT LESS LIKELY TO SAVE UP AND BUY A VEHICLE YOU MORONIC PIECE OF shiat

[1.bp.blogspot.com image 500x375].

The problem with your rant is that car theft and video game piracy are not ever remotely similar.

Well, if a car exists, and I had the ability to make an exact duplicate of the car without costs incurred to any manufacturers or car lots, even though I didn't need a car and probably wouldn't have bought a car if I couldn't replicate the car for free. And then I drove it around for as long as I liked, and told other people how awesome my car was, and then those people went and bought an actual car from the dealership (or maybe they make their own copies, what do I care), then its a little closer to video game piracy.

You need to add in that this mythical car cannot take you anywhere that you need to be. The car is for enjoyment only. No going to work, no getting groceries, no appointments nothing. Also you should mention that you own multiple cars that you have paid for but they also can't do anything of importance they are simply intended for leisure as well.

Quigs:I hate these dumbfarks who cry "A pirated piece of software isn't a lost sale." They're like the hemp morons.

IF YOU'RE DRIVING A STOLEN VEHICLE AND IT CAN'T BE PROVEN THAT YOU OWN A STOLEN VEHICLE YOU'RE A LOT LESS LIKELY TO SAVE UP AND BUY A VEHICLE YOU MORONIC PIECE OF shiat

[1.bp.blogspot.com image 500x375].

If you a steal a physical object, that physical object is no longer able to be sold and it is removed from circulation. If you pirate software, you are not removing that software from circulation, nor are you preventing it from being sold.

Girion47:Quigs: I hate these dumbfarks who cry "A pirated piece of software isn't a lost sale." They're like the hemp morons.

IF YOU'RE DRIVING A STOLEN VEHICLE AND IT CAN'T BE PROVEN THAT YOU OWN A STOLEN VEHICLE YOU'RE A LOT LESS LIKELY TO SAVE UP AND BUY A VEHICLE YOU MORONIC PIECE OF shiat

[1.bp.blogspot.com image 500x375].

What's wrong with hemp?

Nothing. Just don't use it as a blatantly obvious back-door to getting pot legalized. Make pot legal on it's own merits and stop pretending you give a shiat about rope. (Not *you*, but the Woody Harrelson crowd.)

YodaBlues:Quigs: I hate these dumbfarks who cry "A pirated piece of software isn't a lost sale." They're like the hemp morons.

IF YOU'RE DRIVING A STOLEN VEHICLE AND IT CAN'T BE PROVEN THAT YOU OWN A STOLEN VEHICLE YOU'RE A LOT LESS LIKELY TO SAVE UP AND BUY A VEHICLE YOU MORONIC PIECE OF shiat

[1.bp.blogspot.com image 500x375].

If you a steal a physical object, that physical object is no longer able to be sold and it is removed from circulation. If you pirate software, you are not removing that software from circulation, nor are you preventing it from being sold.

/Not the same thing, even remotely.

Okay.

So your argument is either : By stealing a car, you're depriving the world of some ridiculously infinitesimal percentage of natural resource : Which is a stupid argument,

OR

You're saying by stealing a car, you're depriving the value of the workers mining the ore, the value of the workers putting together motherboards, the workers creating metals and plastics, the workers assembling the car, etc. etc. etc.

In other words, you're taking away the value of labor and service when you steal a car, but when you take away the value of labor and service by stealing a video game, it's different because... you're retarded?

Quigs:Girion47: Quigs: I hate these dumbfarks who cry "A pirated piece of software isn't a lost sale." They're like the hemp morons.

IF YOU'RE DRIVING A STOLEN VEHICLE AND IT CAN'T BE PROVEN THAT YOU OWN A STOLEN VEHICLE YOU'RE A LOT LESS LIKELY TO SAVE UP AND BUY A VEHICLE YOU MORONIC PIECE OF shiat

[1.bp.blogspot.com image 500x375].

What's wrong with hemp?

Nothing. Just don't use it as a blatantly obvious back-door to getting pot legalized. Make pot legal on it's own merits and stop pretending you give a shiat about rope. (Not *you*, but the Woody Harrelson crowd.)

A) It's one of the possible avenues to getting pot legalized. Deal with it.

B) You didn't respond to any of the other farkers who showed you it's nothing like stealing a car. You instead focused on the one point that actually had nothing to do with the thread at hand. Moron.

BumpInTheNight:If its so awesome, why are you unwilling to pay for it?

Because I didn't NEED it, stupid. Follow along.

Egoy3k:You need to add in that this mythical car cannot take you anywhere that you need to be. The car is for enjoyment only. No going to work, no getting groceries, no appointments nothing. Also you should mention that you own multiple cars that you have paid for but they also can't do anything of importance they are simply intended for leisure as well.

Yeah that. Sometimes I can even make replicas of company cars, that only do work related things, but I can't take them to the beach. Also, people will give me free cars to do the exact same work, but the car that I replicate has a better dash and satellite radio. And heated seats.

Quigs:In other words, you're taking away the value of labor and service when you steal a car, but when you take away the value of labor and service by stealing a video game, it's different because... you're retarded?

Celerian:Egoy3k: You need to add in that this mythical car cannot take you anywhere that you need to be. The car is for enjoyment only. No going to work, no getting groceries, no appointments nothing. Also you should mention that you own multiple cars that you have paid for but they also can't do anything of importance they are simply intended for leisure as well.

Yeah that. Sometimes I can even make replicas of company cars, that only do work related things, but I can't take them to the beach. Also, people will give me free cars to do the exact same work, but the car that I replicate has a better dash and satellite radio. And heated seats.

Oh yeah and when you went to the dealership and tried to buy the car they wouldn't let you test drive it. They wanted to impose strange restrictions on the use of the car like you can't drive it on the second Thursday of any month with 30 days in it. The final insult was they wanted to sell you the car without trim or mirrors, it still worked fine but wasn't really finished. Don't worry though they'll sell you the trim and mirrors individually for a modest fee (note that taken in total you can almost double the price of the car). Oh yeah and if you spend your money now and increase the sales figures of the car they'll reward everyone who HASN'T bought the car by releasing a finished car at a reduced price and call it the special edition.

B) You didn't respond to any of the other farkers who showed you it's nothing like stealing a car.

Except when I did, directly above your post, dummy.

I apologize, the only response I saw was to the pot post, when there was about 8 others relating to the actual thread before you posted.

BUT again your whole argument is based off the idea that it's stealing. It's not stealing. You have no way of proving that a sale would have happened if it weren't freely available and it does NOT deprive another person of owning it.

And it's not a theft of services, as no theft occurred. It's why they have different laws regarding it.

B) You didn't respond to any of the other farkers who showed you it's nothing like stealing a car.

Except when I did, directly above your post, dummy.

I apologize, the only response I saw was to the pot post, when there was about 8 others relating to the actual thread before you posted.

BUT again your whole argument is based off the idea that it's stealing. It's not stealing. You have no way of proving that a sale would have happened if it weren't freely available and it does NOT deprive another person of owning it.

And it's not a theft of services, as no theft occurred. It's why they have different laws regarding it.

It's no different then recording a song off the radio, which is also theft! THEFT OF THE AIRWAVES

BumpInTheNight:Celerian: Because I didn't NEED it, stupid. Follow along

I sincerely hope that people appreciate but never NEED your work, as well.

If I worked in the entertainment industry, that's exactly how it would pan out. Unfortunately, in my line of work, I am necessary, to keep things running without issues. And when there ARE issues, I'm really important, until the issues are fixed. And then I'm not nearly as interesting.

The point I was making is that no matter what the game costs, I don't NEED it. Until I decide I WANT it, they haven't generated a sale.

I have $60 bucks in my hand.

With my $60 bucks, I could buy gas for my car for a month. I need the gas in order to get around, especially back and forth to work.

I could also buy Game X. Game X isn't something that I need, because I would only use it in my spare time. I have other things I can do in my spare time, but maybe Game X looks interesting. The $60 I spend on Game X wouldn't make me miss out on anything else, but I could always use that $60 on something that I need. And of course, the only thing I have to go on is a crappy trailer, some bullshiat reviews and a few pictures and descriptions of Game X. This is not like my ability to watch an entire season of a television show and go to the store and buy it on DVD because, hey, I'd really like to watch Ross and Rachael get together and break up anytime I want to. This is not like listening to an album online and thinking, "Damn, I'd love to listen to the collected works of John Prine while driving in my automobile!" No, this is the video game industry asking me to drop a substancial amount of money on something that I might not be able to try out.

I would like you to spend $60 bucks on my television series, BLORT!. BLORT! is a scifi drama with breathtaking visuals, exciting space battles, and deep storylines. All of the critics are saying BLORT! is a must-watch, edge-of-your-seat, wild ride. Here are some still images and a 30 second promo spot for BLORT!. The only way you can see BLORT! is if you buy it, but I assure you that you will love it.

Egoy3k:Celerian: Egoy3k: You need to add in that this mythical car cannot take you anywhere that you need to be. The car is for enjoyment only. No going to work, no getting groceries, no appointments nothing. Also you should mention that you own multiple cars that you have paid for but they also can't do anything of importance they are simply intended for leisure as well.

Yeah that. Sometimes I can even make replicas of company cars, that only do work related things, but I can't take them to the beach. Also, people will give me free cars to do the exact same work, but the car that I replicate has a better dash and satellite radio. And heated seats.

Oh yeah and when you went to the dealership and tried to buy the car they wouldn't let you test drive it. They wanted to impose strange restrictions on the use of the car like you can't drive it on the second Thursday of any month with 30 days in it. The final insult was they wanted to sell you the car without trim or mirrors, it still worked fine but wasn't really finished. Don't worry though they'll sell you the trim and mirrors individually for a modest fee (note that taken in total you can almost double the price of the car). Oh yeah and if you spend your money now and increase the sales figures of the car they'll reward everyone who HASN'T bought the car by releasing a finished car at a reduced price and call it the special edition.

Jesus if a car company tried that bullshiat with me I'd...not buy a car from them. Shocking, I know. Less shocking then sneaking into the factory and making yourself one though.

Egoy3k:Celerian: Egoy3k: You need to add in that this mythical car cannot take you anywhere that you need to be. The car is for enjoyment only. No going to work, no getting groceries, no appointments nothing. Also you should mention that you own multiple cars that you have paid for but they also can't do anything of importance they are simply intended for leisure as well.

Yeah that. Sometimes I can even make replicas of company cars, that only do work related things, but I can't take them to the beach. Also, people will give me free cars to do the exact same work, but the car that I replicate has a better dash and satellite radio. And heated seats.

Oh yeah and when you went to the dealership and tried to buy the car they wouldn't let you test drive it. They wanted to impose strange restrictions on the use of the car like you can't drive it on the second Thursday of any month with 30 days in it. The final insult was they wanted to sell you the car without trim or mirrors, it still worked fine but wasn't really finished. Don't worry though they'll sell you the trim and mirrors individually for a modest fee (note that taken in total you can almost double the price of the car). Oh yeah and if you spend your money now and increase the sales figures of the car they'll reward everyone who HASN'T bought the car by releasing a finished car at a reduced price and call it the special edition.

Can I hire you as a writer the next time I want to make a snarky "piracy isn't all bad" post?

Pirating a song is one thing, because you know the musicians don't make any money from record sales and you go see them live anyway. Pirating an $8 indie game? How low can you get? Maybe the reason you're too impoverished to spend $8 is because you sit around playing stolen games all day!

Celerian:If I worked in the entertainment industry, that's exactly how it would pan out. Unfortunately, in my line of work, I am necessary, to keep things running without issues. And when there ARE issues, I'm really important, until the issues are fixed. And then I'm not nearly as interesting.

The point I was making is that no matter what the game costs, I don't NEED it. Until I decide I WANT it, they haven't generated a sale.

I have $60 bucks in my hand.

With my $60 bucks, I could buy gas for my car for a month. I need the gas in order to get around, especially back and forth to work.

I could also buy Game X. Game X isn't something that I need, because I would only use it in my spare time. I have other things I can do in my spare time, but maybe Game X looks interesting. The $60 I spend on Game X wouldn't make me miss out on anything else, but I could always use that $60 on something that I need. And of course, the only thing I have to go on is a crappy trailer, some bullshiat reviews and a few pictures and descriptions of Game X. This is not like my ability to watch an entire season of a television show and go to the store and buy it on DVD because, hey, I'd really like to watch Ross and Rachael get together and break up anytime I want to. This is not like listening to an album online and thinking, "Damn, I'd love to listen to the collected works of John Prine while driving in my automobile!" No, this is the video game industry asking me to drop a substancial amount of money on something that I might not be able to try out.

I would like you to spend $60 bucks on my television series, BLORT!. BLORT! is a scifi drama with breathtaking visuals, exciting space battles, and deep storylines. All of the critics are saying BLORT! is a must-watch, edge-of-your-seat, wild ride. Here are some still images and a 30 second promo spot for BLORT!. The only way you can see BLORT! is if you buy it, but I assure you that you will love it.

Want to buy BLORT!?

Just kid ...

I suppose we have the same values then, I just appreciate the people who make what entertains me a whole lot more then you do that's all, and I'm not in a position where I'm worrying about how I spend my last $60 ;) My answer to BLORT has been to not pre-order from those shiatheels anymore, I haven't for a pretty long time now and it seems to work. But yes, back when I was blindly pre-ordering and getting burned I had no qwalms with turning around and pirating the next game from company X that interested me, fair's fair. I still owe Activision-Blizzard for Diablo 3 though, I'm not sure what I expected at this point, but it wasn't what I got that's for sure.

BumpInTheNight:Egoy3k: Celerian: Egoy3k: You need to add in that this mythical car cannot take you anywhere that you need to be. The car is for enjoyment only. No going to work, no getting groceries, no appointments nothing. Also you should mention that you own multiple cars that you have paid for but they also can't do anything of importance they are simply intended for leisure as well.

Yeah that. Sometimes I can even make replicas of company cars, that only do work related things, but I can't take them to the beach. Also, people will give me free cars to do the exact same work, but the car that I replicate has a better dash and satellite radio. And heated seats.

Oh yeah and when you went to the dealership and tried to buy the car they wouldn't let you test drive it. They wanted to impose strange restrictions on the use of the car like you can't drive it on the second Thursday of any month with 30 days in it. The final insult was they wanted to sell you the car without trim or mirrors, it still worked fine but wasn't really finished. Don't worry though they'll sell you the trim and mirrors individually for a modest fee (note that taken in total you can almost double the price of the car). Oh yeah and if you spend your money now and increase the sales figures of the car they'll reward everyone who HASN'T bought the car by releasing a finished car at a reduced price and call it the special edition.

Jesus if a car company tried that bullshiat with me I'd...not buy a car from them. Shocking, I know. Less shocking then sneaking into the factory and making yourself one though.

That's what we're getting at. MOST video game companies are doing this exact same thing. And gamers don't have a lot of choice but to buy our trim and mirrors separate. Or to buy something without having a fair taste of what it is. I almost feel the same way about movies in the theater, but most of the time they TRY to make those enjoyable, so rarely do I find something I wish I hadn't spent my money on.

On the other hand, I'm pretty loyal to game companies that have provided me with a lot of enjoyment. Blizzard being the big one, I've enjoyed ALMOST everything they've made. I was excited for Diablo 3, and I jumped on the opportunity to sign up for their year-long WoW pass (something I'd be playing anyway) because it gave me beta access to the new WoW expansion and a free copy of Diablo 3. Now, chances are if I hadn't been offered that deal, I would have bought the game anyway on launch day, because I've been pretty happy with the game. I even had beta for Diablo 3, and it was pretty good. I was excited for the game.

And the game came out and I played through it. What's this? The game has rehashed bosses from the first two games? The game is pretty, but a much simpler system than Diablo 1 or Diablo 2, which allowed you quite a bit of customization? The entire storyline is bland and feels like a huge cop out? The difficulty goes from boring to insane without any warning, making it impossible to play without a bunch of people? Oh, this is disappointing I'm glad I didn't really spend any money on that turd. Going to be more careful with future Blizzard titles. Should have saw it coming since Activision has been forcing Blizzard to focus on their cash crop and Diablo 3 was a.... oh fark me, it was a cash grab and a good opportunity to see how the community would react to a micro-transaction auction house! DUH!

See, but it took Blizzard nearly 20 years to burn me so badly with a game that I would have been upset at the purchase. A brand new company wants me to try their game or give them my money, and I don't know what BLORT! is or why I'd want to play it, so if I pirate it, I can make a decision on if I want to give them my money.

>>>> DemonEater: You guys remember DOOM?....Back then it was a little harder to mass-distribute the ill-gotten warez. For every dorm floor that had one legit copy spread around to a dozen friend there were significant amount of homes that bought it because that's what you do to get games when you aren't a BBSing/newsgroup surfin' cyber-nerd. These days it just takes one ass with a net connection to upload one copy and it spreads like wildfire. Also back then there wasn't such an culture where every app/song/game/site is free (in either as beer or as it sells you as its product) and the idea of paying for anything is just straight up alien.

Other than your slightly easier to distribute point, you are either misinformed or deluded. 4 floppies became 16, became 32, became 64 in a few hours across schools. BBS' were common not the rare places you claim, and everybody was copying stuff. . . yet the game was so great a lot of us then went out and paid for a copy anyway.

BumpInTheNight:I suppose we have the same values then, I just appreciate the people who make what entertains me a whole lot more then you do that's all, and I'm not in a position where I'm worrying about how I spend my last $60 ;) My answer to BLORT has been to not pre-order from those shiatheels anymore, I haven't for a pretty long time now and it seems to work. But yes, back when I was blindly pre-ordering and getting burned I had no qwalms with turning around and pirating the next game from company X that interested me, fair's fair. I still owe Activision-Blizzard for Diablo 3 though, I'm not sure what I expected at this point, but it wasn't what I got that's for sure.

Considering I got into programming at an early age because I wanted to work for Blizzard, I think I appreciate the people who make my entertainment a whole lot. So much that, as I said upthread, I would much rather meet an artist at a merch table and shove a crumpled ten into his sweaty, tired hands then spend $20 at Best Buy or through a mail-order music club where they won't see $2.00 of it. I've been burned in the past, and seeing that a good majority of the video game industry has gone this way, I am distrustful of new stuff. A company wants a surefire line to my pocket, sell me on one or two products through my distrusting nature, and then keep pumping out quality stuff. Yeah, Blizzard burned me with D3, but I've also been having a lot of fun with MoP, and I look forward to seeing what they do in the future. But now I'm going to be weary of what I jump on, just in case...

Most popular game in the universe for most of the 90s. EVERYBODY had the shareware version. The full version and DOOM2 were probably the most pirated software in the world from '93 to '96. No copy protection at ALL - got four or five floppy discs? ARJ that sucker up and have fun!